Chung K. Pak

Commissioner Chung K. Pak has had a distinguished
professional career as a United States Administrative Patent
Judge with the U.S. Board of Patent Appeals and
Interferences and had served as a Corporate Patent Counsel
for Praxair, Inc., formerly Union Carbide Corporation. As
one of the most respected patent judges at the U.S. Board of
Patent Appeals and Interferences, he has adjudicated over
3,000 cases, many involving complex technical and legal
issues. Judge Pak has also lectured at conferences and
published articles on those issues. He has received the
United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) Special
Achievement Award, USPTO Outstanding Performance Award, and
many other awards for his distinguished service in the area
of patent and intellectual property law.

Commissioner Pak is also is a
highly venerated civic activist and leader in Montgomery
County and Maryland. He has served on the boards and in
leadership positions on many non-profit community
organizations. In particular, Judge Pak has served as
Co-Chairman of the NAACP (Montgomery Branch) Multicultural
Partnership Committee; Commissioner of the Governor’s
Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (Glendening
Administration); Board Member of Progressive Maryland, NAACP
(Montgomery Branch), Committee for Montgomery, and
Montgomery Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board; Chairman of
League of Korean Americans of Maryland; and Member of the
NAACP Criminal Justice and Police Review Committee
(Montgomery Branch), Montgomery County Asian American Police
Advisory Committee, Comptroller Peter Franchot’s Transition
Team, and County Executive Ike Leggett’s Transition
Committee.

Known as a consensus and
bridge builder, Commissioner Pak has worked closely with
Latino, African American, Asian Pacific American, labor,
religious, and civil rights groups on issues of common
concern. His extraordinary life story has been featured in
the Gazette’s: One of Forty Who Cared and in other
news articles. In an Asian Fortune article, Senator
Barbara Mikulski said, “Judge Pak has spent a lifetime
fighting injustice and inequality. His story is truly an
embodiment of the American dream and an example of
leadership with compassion and commitment to public
service.” For his outstanding service to his community, he
was inducted into Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of
Fame and received Progressive Maryland’s Progressive Leader
Award; MCDCC’s Kelsey Cook Volunteer of Year Award; Census
Department’s Census Outstanding Volunteer Service Award;
Senator Barbara Mikulski’s Certificate of Appreciation; U.S.
Representative Chris Van Hollen’s Certificate of Special
Recognition; Montgomery County Police Department’s
Appreciation Award; Maryland Coalition for Recognition of
Asian Lunar New Year’s STAR of Maryland Asian Pacific
American Community Award; League of Korean Americans of
Maryland Outstanding Service Award and Presidential Award;
Governor’s Citation for Outstanding Community Service (Glendening
and Ehrlich Administrations); USPTO Asian Pacific American
Network Leadership Award and many other awards.

Commissioner Pak was appointed
to the Commission by Governor O’Malley in July 2007 to fill
an unexpired term from 2005. His term expires in 2010.